Multi-time champion breaks out of his slump in a big way with an impressive WNYSRA victory

Rochester, NY – September 5, 2014: Multi-time Super Rod and Hot Rod champion, Jon Jablonski, is used to winning races, not to mention bunches of rounds of competition. So, one can understand why Jon felt a little out of sorts early this season as he struggled to get his Jason Vitez Race Cars ’67 Chevy II to repeat from one run to the next. Jon was so frustrated that he literally removed his car from competition so that he could concentrate on testing to get the car to meet his performance expectations. That strategy paid dividends just a scant few weeks after re-entering competition with a win at the Tread City Tire / Western New York Super Rod Association (WNYSRA) event at Empire Dragway, which was presented by BRK Machine & Performance of Alden, NY.

Sixteen drivers entered Sunday’s race, and it didn’t take long for Jablonski to notify the rest of the field he was back and meant business, as after two rounds of qualifying Jablonski sat atop the qualifying list with a 9.910 second elapsed time (E.T.) For his efforts, Jablonski earned an additional 10 points for being the #1 qualifier, and a first round matchup with prior race winner and current points leader, Jeff Gregoire. The tough matchup didn’t faze Jablonski though, as he was able to use a healthy starting line advantage to defeat Gregoire with a 9.931 second E.T. to Gregoire’s break-out 9.866.

In the second round of eliminations, Jablonski found himself up against previous WNYSRA race winner, John Cira of Rochester, NY, who entering the race was third overall in the points standings. In contrast to Jablonski’s first round race where he had a significant starting line advantage, in this race Jablonski found himself behind at the start with a .036 second reaction time (R.T.) to Cira’s stout .008 second R.T. Knowing that Jablonski would be closing on him fast at over 150 mph, Cira was concerned about scrubbing too much speed on the top end and allowing Jablonski to get around him. This ended up coming back to haunt Cira though, as he took too much stripe and broke out with a 9.880 second elapsed time to Jablonski’s winning E.T. of 9.915 seconds. In the other 2nd round pairings, Doug Lynden of Fredonia, NY defeated the 1994 Chevy Corvette of Mark Herbold, Bill Elekes in his 1995 Chevy Beretta beat Len Oleksy of Depew, NY, and Andy Lawrence of Spencerport, NY used a near perfect .002 second reaction time and excellent 9.915 second elapsed time to defeat the always competitive Jon Pellicane of Attica, NY in his 2013 Chevrolet Corvette. Lawrence’s 0.017 second package on his winning run held up as the best of the event, and as such he was named the winner of the “Jiffy-tite Package Award”, which includes a $50 gift certificate from Jiffy-tite Motorsports.

In the semifinals, Jablonski was matched up with Doug Lynden of Fredonia, NY in his 1927 Ford roadster. When the Christmas Tree lit, both drivers left the starting line with superb reaction times; .011 seconds for Jablonski, and .006 seconds for Lynden. But, at the other end, Jablonski laid down a near perfect 9.906 second elapsed time to defeat the too quick Lynden, who broke out with his 9.876 second E.T. The other semifinal matchup saw Bill Elekes take on Andy Lawrence. Unfortunately though, this race was over before it started as Lawrence ended up being disqualified for failing to stage his car in the allotted time. This occurred as Lawrence engaged the transbrake, and a transmission malfunction caused his Chevy Monte Carlo to back up a few inches, which was just enough to back out of the stage beam.

That set up the finals between Elekes and Jablonski, who are not only very good friends, but also have a mentor – protégé relationship. In the past, Jablonski had driven Elekes’ race cars on more than one occasion. But in addition, Jablonski worked for Elekes for many years, including at Elekes’ most recent venture, Autos Direct of Buffalo. In late 2013, Jablonski felt he was finally ready to make a go of it on his own, and with Elekes’ guidance founded Autos Direct of Alden. So, this was definitely not going to be just another final for these veteran competitors, as winning this race was certain to be a little sweeter than most.

Given what was at stake, everyone expected to see the best from both drivers, and they didn’t disappoint. Jablonski and Elekes left the starting line with near identical reaction times, with Jablonski holding a slight .005 second advantage over Elekes. But, on this day, Jablonski’s car was remarkably dialed-in to the Super Rod index of 9.90 seconds, and this run would prove no different as Jablonski would run a 9.925 second elapsed time to secure the victory over Elekes and his 9.934 second E.T. In every round of competition at this event, Jablonski ran closer to the Super Rod index than his competitor, which certainly played a large role in his victory.

With the win, Jablonski took home over $1,500 in cash and prizes, including a $100 bonus credit with S&W Race Cars. After the race, he was quick to thank his wife, Nicole, and his long-time crewman, Dennis O’Brien, for all of their help and support over the years. In addition, he wanted to thank his sponsors: Autos Direct of Alden, Jason Vitez Race Cars, and Louie’s Car Clinic. Finally, Jon wanted to thank Ron McKay of Hoosier Tire Canada, Jeff Gregoire, Jan-Cen Motorsports, and Competition Transmission and Converters.

Through five events, Jablonski and Elekes are the fourth different set of drivers to reach the finals, which is a testament to the parody present in the WNYSRA today (Andrew Stirk and Jason Oldfield are the only drivers to repeat as finalists). With their respective finishes, Jablonski and Elekes have moved up the point standings and are right in the thick of the championship points chase. With each driver having 1 race to drop, it’s still anybody’s race. The current top 10 in the point standings are as follows:

The Tread City Tire / Western New York Super Rod Association returns to Empire Dragway for a double race weekend on Saturday, September 6th and Sunday, September 7th for race numbers six and seven of the 8 race series. On Saturday, gates open at noon, with open time trials for all competitors starting at 1:00 pm. WNYSRA qualifying sessions are scheduled for 2:00 pm and 3:30 pm, with final eliminations slated to start at 5:00 pm. On Sunday, gates open at 9:30 am, with time trials starting at 10:30 am, and WNYSRA qualifying sessions scheduled for 11:00 am and 12:30 pm. Final eliminations on Sunday are planned to start at 2:00 pm. For more information, visit at the WNYSRA website at http://www.wnysra.com.

About the Western New York Super Rod Association (WNYSRA):
The Western New York Super Rod Association was founded in 2014 to provide an outlet for some of the best heads-up, pro-tree competitors in western New York, southern Ontario, and northwestern Pennsylvania to compete in one of the longest running sportsman drag racing categories, IHRA's Super Rod or NHRA's Super Gas. The 8-race series includes 6 events at Empire Dragway in Leicester, NY, and 2 races at Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, Ontario, Canada, with the winner of one of those two races taking home a coveted NHRA “Wally”. In addition to serving the racers, it is the goal of the WNYSRA to provide their sponsors with unprecedented marketing value for their money through exposure at the track, in printed media, and on-line. For more information, visit the WNYSRA website at http://www.wnysra.com, or find them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/WNYSRA.

About BRK Machine & Performance:
Founded in the year 2000, BRK Machine & Performance has emerged as one of the premier suppliers of racing engines for all forms of racing, including drag racing, dirt track racing, and stock car racing. However, over the years BRK Machine & Performance has expanded from simply being a race engine supplier to a full-service automotive precision machine shop and service center. With over 30 years of experience, Brian Kalinowski, President and Founder of BRK Machine & Performance, continues to lead his team to this day, and is readily available to help you with any and all high performance automotive needs. For more information, please call BRK Machine & Performance at (716) 937-0477.